Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday told diplomats that Malta is steadily familiarising itself with the intricate ways in which the European Union formulates its positions both regarding internal as well as external matters.

“In this spirit we have been, and plan to remain, actively involved in the discussions on key issues such as migration, internal matters relating to competitiveness, transport, fisheries, environment protection, taxation, as well as external issues such as Palestine, and the Euromed process,” said the Prime Minister, when addressing the diplomatic corps at Castille.

Dr Gonzi said the government is deeply interested in the further evolution of the union and the initiatives of this year’s German and Portuguese presidencies, especially in the areas of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers, and an internal market where competition is free and undistorted.

On the country’s efforts to make the most of membership, he said Malta had worked assiduously with the Commission to finalise a programme for the utilisation of the e855m Structural and Cohesion Funds allocated under the 2007-2013 financial perspective.

Dr Gonzi said Malta is working hard to join the eurozone on 1 January 2008. He admitted that the most challenging task has been to reduce the budget deficit from a high of around 10 per cent of GDP in 2003 to under three per cent in 2006.

“The government is convinced membership in the eurozone will bring significant and long-term benefits to Malta that will help its development.

“The government’s objective is to achieve a level of productivity that assures enhanced living and working conditions for all Maltese citizens, while safeguarding the needs of the most vulnerable.”

The Prime Minister also focused on the EU’s diplomatic efforts in the Balkans, especially in Kosovo. He said the union has a particularly sensitive role to play in the region, “where efforts towards resolving specific situations very often merge with the broader objectives of an EU perspective.”

Malta, said Dr Gonzi, remains supportive of the prospect of further expansion of the union. He said the focus will increase on the Western Balkans and Turkey, following the accession of Bulgaria and Romania, and that the government is convinced the enlargement should be based on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights.

The government’s interest in EU expansion is in line with its commitment towards strengthening of security and cooperation in the Mediterranean, as part of the wider process of European security and cooperation, he said, and to this end, Malta has always been a keen supporter of the Euromed initiative.

Speaking on irregular immigration, Dr Gonzi said the government is frustrated that the heavy influx of irregular immigrants is obstructing the country’s ability to deal humanely and efficiently with those cases that “rightly deserve our care and attention”.

He said that the influx of irregular migrants during the last year, especially in summer, has stretched to the limit the country’s capacity to deal with the problem.

Dr Gonzi expressed his sadness at the loss of life around the shores of Malta which is the result of illegal operations that capitalise on human suffering.

The ministerial conferences in Morocco and Libya during 2006 have laid the groundwork for an extensive EU/Africa dialogue on migration and development, Dr Gonzi said.

The European Council in December agreed on a Comprehensive European Policy on migration. This ties together short-term preventive action with the longer-term development-related action.

“We are hopeful that this encouraging process will continue in 2007 both within the Euromed framework, as well as through the proposed ministerial conference on migration. Malta will remain actively involved in this process,” Dr Gonzi said.

In a broader perspective “we are following with interest the follow-up to last September’s UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development.

The Belgian initiative to host the first meeting of the Global Forum on International Migration and Development in July 2007 is a welcome step in this regard.”

The Prime Minister emphasised that the inauguration of the new Mater Dei Hospital in July this year will constitute a remarkable achievement.

He explained how Malta is achieving its aspirations of becoming the information technology capital of the Mediterranean and the country’s track record in the sector had spurred the government to bid to host the headquarters of the supervisory authority of Europe’s Galileo satellite navigation project.

The corps yesterday were also received by President Edward Fenech Adami at the Presidential Palace.

In his speech, President Fenech Adami outlined Malta’s position on the international stage and described the island as a meeting point between Europe and North Africa “with a vision of a world in which everyone can live in peace and security”.

Malta has been working to make a success of its EU membership, said Dr Fenech Adami, and the country is contributing towards the construction of a European Union which gives added value to its common values.

He welcomed the arrival of newcomers Bulgaria and Romania and called on the EU to give priority to the Constitutional Treaty project.

With regard to the Mediterranean region, President Fenech Adami said its cultural, political and religious diversity is an important asset in shaping the future and opens ways for exchange and cooperation.

“Malta,” he said, “seeks to actively play its part in furthering dialogue, peace, stability and prosperity in the region, including the Middle East.”

The President called for an end to armed conflict in the region, in particular in the Middle East.

On Iraq, the President said that work had to be done at a political, economic and social level.